Council approves coast plan

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council unanimously approved an initial Gulf Coast restoration plan Wednesday that could take shape within a year.

Jacob BatteStaff Writer

A panel that will oversee spending of billions of dollars in BP oil-spill fine money approved an initial plan money aimed at restoring the Gulf Coast's environment and economy.The federal-state Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which will oversee 80 percent of BP's Clean Water Act fines, approved the plan Wednesday in New Orleans.The plan calls for regional, science-based projects. It's short on specifics because state plans aren't yet complete and BP's fines are in litigation.The council will oversee the spending of 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to five Gulf Coast states. Under the Restore Act, approved by Congress last year, BP can be fined $1,000 to $4,300 per barrel leaked after the deadly rig explosion. That could add up to fines of between $5 billion and $20 billion. The remaining 20 percent will go into a trust fund to prepare for future oil spills. Under the act, the states get 35 percent of that money to spend directly. The council will oversee the spending of 60 percent of that money. Thirty percent will go to projects chosen by the council and the other 30 percent to projects chosen by the states. Science and education projects get the remaining 5 percent.Gov. Bobby Jindal said the money coming to the Louisiana will be used in accordance with the state's coastal restoration and protection master plan.“We need to get money to the states as soon as possible,” Jindal told the panel.In phone interviews, coastal advocates from Terrebonne and Lafourche said they are cautiously optimistic.“For a long time we've needed to have a lot of these federal partners with us. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out,” said Simone Maloz, executive director of the Thibodaux-based Restore or Retreat coastal advocacy nonprofit. “It's important to see this be successful.”The fund has already banked $320 million of the promised $800 million, its share of environmental fines levied against Transocean, owner of the drilling rig that exploded and sank in 2010. The final decision in the ongoing civil trial against BP, which will determine the remaining fines, could be more than a year away. The trial resumes Sept. 30 in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Jindal said BP has focused too much on its image and needs to turn its attention to the real problems. “BP needs to stop spending hundreds of millions of dollars on their public relations campaign telling us how great they are and start proving it by addressing their Clean Water Act and Natural Resources Damage liabilities now,” Jindal said at the meeting. “While Transocean has stepped up to the plate and paid much of their liability, BP has not.”BP Vice President Geoff Morrell disputed Jindal's complaints.“Any suggestion that BP has failed to address the clean up of the Louisiana coastline is both false and irresponsible. The facts, however, are irrefutable, and our progress in Louisiana has been significant,” Morrell said in a news release after Wednesday's meeting. “Overall to date, we have spent $26 billion on response, cleanup and claims. Repeated assertions that we have spent more money on advertising than this are grossly in error and seem purposefully intended to mislead the public.”The comprehensive plan is incomplete; it doesn't say how much money each state will get or list specific projects, as required by the Restore Act, because the total in fines against BP and its drilling partners remains uncertain.Instead, the council passed a list of broad goals that will guide how the money is spent. They include enhancing resiliency, conserving habitat, replenishing marine resources and revitalizing the Gulf Coast economy.“It's encouraging to see so many state and federal agencies working together for a common goal,” Terrebonne Coastal Restoration Director Nic Matherne said.Maloz said the plan is full of basic concepts, but it's the undetermined details that will really matter.“Almost everybody agrees with the concept and guiding principles. It's going to come down to which projects they pick, how they choose to share their pot of money and how that compares to Louisiana's master plan,” Maloz said. “They're still a ways away from that.” Lafourche Parish Administrator Archie Chaisson agrees, noting that the real focus is on how the money will be spent.“This is a huge opportunity for us to fund some of the master plan projects, specifically some of the parish priority projects,” Chaisson said. “It is our hope that we have a process with measurable outcomes and the best interest of the affected communities at the forefront.”Officials from the Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation released a statement urging the council to embrace the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan as a guiding document for restoring the Mississippi River Delta. “Since the Mississippi River and its surrounding wetlands are a driving force behind ensuring a healthy Gulf Coast ecosystem, thriving local economies and protected communities, these Mississippi River Delta restoration projects will create an important cornerstone for Gulf-wide ecosystem restoration,” the organizations said in the statement. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the Restore Act, which she authored with U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., created the council and tasked it with drafting the plan to ensure the fines are invested in a way that would maximize Gulf restoration efforts. “This plan protects the carefully crafted balance between environmental and economic recovery that was established by the Restore Act. It is a significant improvement over the draft plan released earlier this year, and today's unanimous vote by the council shows the strong support we have for this holistic approach to recovery,” Landrieu said.